American culture has come into our lives through films and music. Most young people today have fired up the "American dream", which also testifies to the considerable influence of the West on the formation of the personality of a domestic person. For people interested in this culture deeper, information about popular American surnames and names will be very entertaining.
A bit of history
Probably everyone knows that the American nation is a mix of all kinds of nationalities, who at one time or another came to live in America. The American nation began to form in the 18th century, for the most part its founders were the British, Swedes, Germans, and Dutch. The Indians — Native Americans and Africans — also had a great influence. From the foregoing, we can conclude that the American nation is very heterogeneous, and therefore American surnames are so diverse.
Surname formation
For many, the basic rules for forming the names of the inhabitants of America will seem interesting. So, everyone knows that surnames with the addition of suffixes are popular — for example, Erickson, which means “son of Eric, ” etc. Also, often American surnames indicate the place of residence (Brook, Hill) or the profession of the person (Potter, Mason, Fisher), can come from the names of flowers, animals or abstract names of plants. Calculation of the names of migrants from their native language into English is also widely used (German Konig - American King). And, of course, in America, as in any other country, there are dynasties with ancient surnames. You can also come across options when the family name is simply used as the name of the father of the family - Arnold, Henry, Thomas or a personal nickname - Abbott, Bishop, Small. You can see that American surnames are so diverse and simple that even an ordinary person can understand them.
Names
After considering how the surnames are formed, beautiful American names are what you should also pay attention to. It is worth noting that primordially American names do not exist, they all originate in European or Eastern cultures. So, in strictly Catholic families, mainly children are given the names of saints. Often the criterion for choosing a name is its pronunciation, consonance with the surname. Americans also like to simplify or change their names. Surprisingly, only one name Elizabeth has about 30 different transformations, Robert - about ten derivative forms. Just like American surnames, the names of Americans can come from the names of plants, places of residence - Jasmine, Rose, Georgia. As for men, they can be called in honor of their father or grandfather - this is considered a very honorable sign among Americans. And, of course, directly borrowed names from various cultures - Dolores, Antonio, Marta, Alexander.
Summing up, it is worth noting: how diverse the American nation is in its ethnic composition, the American surnames are also diverse and interesting. Therefore, it is America that is considered to be a convenient country for everyone, because all the visitors can hear their first names and surnames there.
